Capt-Kirk

I am in neck deep of this rabbit hole. Milage is like arguing with a dumbass-it'll beat you with experience, Reliability? I don't mind wrenching
I bought the running LY6 and sent the block and head to the machine shop.
Looking at Scat 3.90 stroker kit and Comp 212/218 114LSA 54-412-11 cam
I will be reusing my LSA running at 9.5psi on my 5.3 now

So, if you could go back and find a $5000 donor and swap the duramax, tranny, ecu, fuel tank and rear end, you would do it?

Here in AZ anything diesel or HD comes with a hell of a premium. I missed a sweet deal for a 2000 3500 dually diesel for $10,000 a while back when I slapped the LSA blower on my 5.3

Head first i guess


2012 LSA Silverado 1000 lbs Wildcat trail 7500lbs travel trailer

LSrBEST

So true on the gas mileage comment, that's funny as hell. I ponder that question all the time! Lol I probably would. (Diesel swap) For driving around the street and DD for sure. diesels come with a premium no doubt and to find one in running order with the Allison and harness would be extremely hard to source any other way than I did. I know because I have been looking. Most of what's available will end up costing too much. I feel fortunate I came across what I did but there are still deals out there to be had if ones looking hard. I hope every day someone hits me so I can total truck, buy it back and rob the power plant/drive train so I can stuff it in my 2wd RCLB NBS silvy. I love the 416 but after meeting and talking with other people, I think had I had a do over I would have turbo'd a stock 5.3. Best bang for the buck. I'd have kept it stock minus turbo set up and made what the 416 makes or more with stock internals that are in abundance so when **** breaks it wouldn't cost much to fix. Less torque down low but with the 3200 stall I had it wouldn't have mattered much. That converter was perfect for fun and work use.. Truck was light and it wouldn't flash unless I gave er the beans.. Around here I could buy 2-3,. 5.3's for what I paid for the crank alone.. Higher miles but the little LS engines last. I wouldn't be scared to re use a rotating assembly with 175-225k with nothing more than a possible polish, bearings and rings. I picked up my lq4 (now the 416) at 220k and internals were great very little cylinder wear. I could have ran it for another couple of hard summers no questions asked. However pulling the heads to clean the **** out of the block the guy I bought it from got in it from removing it from the van turned into a rabbit hole so I can completely relate!! I do enjoy the feeling of high revving HP that the Dmax doesn't have but I'm more able to use the low rpm tq the Dmax has to offer on a day to day basis. It's like comparing a 2 stroke dirt bike to a 4 stroke. Anyways. Your combo sounds like it will boogie, I'd go bigger on the cam tho. The 224-228 .600 .600 111 lsa was by no means to big for the street at least with the big cubes. towed like a champ. My NBS RCLB pulling my 4000-6000 pound tandem axle contractor trailer would pass any **** on the hwy on demand. It was great! It Looked like some dumb *** with a baby truck pulling a big trailer. Then when people wouldn't move over I'd simple kick it down, scare the **** out them with the exhaust and leave them wondering WTF just happened.

Tailgate shown daily

The engine won't mind the work, a smaller than stock torque converter won't like it at all. The 4l60 and the 6 speed in the half tons are troublesome for towing weight. That has been my experience.